Mainly: meaning, definitions and examples

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mainly

[ ˈmeɪnli ]

^{Context #1}

used to indicate the primary focus or purpose

Chiefly, principally, predominantly

Synonyms

chiefly, predominantly, principally

Examples of usage

The book is mainly about friendship.
She mainly focuses on her career.
The event is mainly for charity.

^{Context #2}

used to indicate mostly or for the most part

Mostly, primarily, largely

Synonyms

largely, mostly, primarily

Examples of usage

The project is mainly completed.
He mainly enjoys reading.
The store mainly sells clothes.

Translations

Translations of the word "mainly" in other languages:

🇵🇹 principalmente

🇮🇳 मुख्य रूप से

🇩🇪 hauptsächlich

🇮🇩 terutama

🇺🇦 головним чином

🇵🇱 głównie

🇯🇵 主に

🇫🇷 principalement

🇪🇸 principalmente

🇹🇷 esas olarak

🇰🇷 주로

🇸🇦 بشكل رئيسي

🇨🇿 hlavně

🇸🇰 hlavne

🇨🇳 主要

🇸🇮 predvsem

🇮🇸 aðallega

🇰🇿 негізінен

🇬🇪 ძირითადად

🇦🇿 əsasən

🇲🇽 principalmente

Word origin

The word 'mainly' originated from the Middle English word 'main', which comes from the Old English 'mægen', meaning strength or force. Over time, 'mainly' evolved to its current usage as an adverb to indicate the primary focus or mostly. It has been in use for centuries to convey the central point or predominant aspect of something.

See also: main, mainland, mainstay, mainstream.